Nocturne

by Steve Wheeler

Still awake? So am I. Trouble sleeping. It's a perennial problem. Me? When I can't sleep, I do creative stuff in the small hours. There's no point in simply listening to the clock tick by. It only breeds anxiety. I could just lay on the bed gazing up at the black dome. But instead I write. Many of the poems in this collection were written in the darkness on my smartphone, created from my bed, while the rest of my world was asleep. No interruptions or distractions. Dead quiet. Except for the distant noises of traffic on dampened roads, or a freight train rolling through the night. Perhaps a cat crying outside the window, or an owl hooting its disdain from deep in the woods. All of these become subject matter, as do the dreams (from the absolutely terrifying to the laughingly ridiculous) my brain generates when I finally succumb to sleep. The night and its wondrous sky, the poems I wrote in the 'hollow hours' and my dreams became the inspiration for these poems. I hope you enjoy them and ... that maybe they'll keep you up all night.... Still awake? So am I.

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2023

Reviews

[Matt Burgio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book after hearing Steve Wheeler read his poem ‘Inner City Nigh Time Blues’ and decided to pick up this volume. What a treat! I have always considered myself nocturnal and many of the poems hit me as they would any night-owl poet. ‘Inner City Night Time Blues’ has become one of my all-time favorite poems, and I’ve enjoyed many others from this collection including ‘Hello Mister Moon’, the ‘Insomnia’ series, ‘I Play With Words’, ‘Hole in the Sky’, and others. This collection explores a wide range of forms, and the style of many of these reflect the craft of a seasoned spoken-word poet. I look forward to reading and hearing more from Steve Wheeler!